County comparison · Ireland
Galway vs Kildare
Median annual earnings · Source: CSO 2024
Kildare pays 10% more than Galway · €48,431 vs €43,995
Kildare has the higher median salary at €48,431 per year, against €43,995 in Galway — a gap of 10%. Looking at the longer trend, Galway has grown faster, at +2.4% per year on average — so Galway is closing the gap over time even though Kildare still pays more today. Financial, Insurance and Real Estate Activities is the sector where the two counties diverge most, with a difference of €16,047.
Growth Comparison
+2.4%
Galway annual growth (CAGR) since 2011
+2.4%
Kildare annual growth (CAGR) since 2011
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Galway
Kildare
Galway Gender Pay Gap
12%
Kildare Gender Pay Gap
23%
Sector-by-Sector Comparison
| Sector | Galway | Kildare | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information and Communication | €70,556 | €85,763 | €-15,207 |
| Public Administration and Defence; Compulsory Social Security | €54,987 | €62,617 | €-7,630 |
| Education | €59,410 | €56,440 | +€2,970 |
| Financial, Insurance and Real Estate Activities | €47,978 | €64,025 | €-16,047 |
| Professional, Scientific and Technical Activities | €47,835 | €56,327 | €-8,492 |
| Industry (B to E) | €45,154 | €58,594 | €-13,440 |
| Construction | €43,962 | €49,167 | €-5,205 |
| Human Health and Social Work Activities | €45,493 | €45,893 | €-400 |
| Transportation and Storage | €39,555 | €45,175 | €-5,620 |
| Administrative and Support Service Activities | €35,389 | €39,805 | €-4,416 |
| Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and Motorcycles | €33,557 | €36,159 | €-2,602 |
| Arts, Entertainment, Recreation and Other Service Activities | €26,795 | €31,782 | €-4,987 |
| Accommodation and Food Service Activities | €27,265 | €25,757 | +€1,508 |
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Keep Exploring
County comparison pages are most useful when they feed the next question: which sector explains the gap, and what does each county look like on its own?
Open the full Galway county page
See the sector table, gender split, and age breakdown for Galway.
Open the full Kildare county page
Jump into the broader county benchmark for Kildare.
Check the widest sector gap in Galway
Financial, Insurance and Real Estate Activities is one of the strongest differentiators between these counties.
Compare the same sector in Kildare
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